1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to antifreeze/coolant additives and more specifically to antifreeze/coolant additives comprising polycarboxylates which resists cavitation-corrosion of aluminum or aluminum alloys.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Antifreeze/coolant technology in North America uses silicate as a corrosion inhibitor. Silicates are particularly useful in protecting aluminum automotive cooling system components. The silicate corrosion inhibitors generally also use a phosphate, usually in the form of an alkali metal salt, to help protect metal cooling system parts and also as a buffer to control the pH of the coolant. Often phosphate salts are used to help maintain a stable alkaline environment from which multiple corrosion inhibitors can most effectively function.
Traditionally antifreeze/coolant is sold at nearly one-hundred percent glycol content. This concentrated packaging allows for flexibility so that the user can dilute the antifreeze/coolant, as needed, with available water to obtain the required freeze/boil protection. However, corrosion protection is needed over the entire dilution range.
Today, in modern automotive engineering, many engine components are fabricated from aluminum. Engine coolants, primarily ethylene glycol based solutions, must transfer heat from operating aluminum engines while inhibiting corrosion. Older automotive engines did not have aluminum components and thus, the traditional antifreeze/coolant compositions may produce cavitation erosion-corrosion of aluminum or aluminum alloy engine components. Such corrosion is very common in water pumps of gasoline and diesel engines and in cylinder liners in diesel engines.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,787 discloses the use of a combination water soluble phosphate with tungstate, selenate and molybdate for protection against cavitation erosion-corrosion on aluminum. U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,113 discloses the use of polyhydric alcohols as corrosion inhibiting and cavitation reducing additives for coolants.
Certain polycarboxylate type materials have been disclosed for prevention of precipitates in antifreeze/coolant compositions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,663,448 discloses scale inhibition for industrial cooling waters using amino phosphonate and polyacrylic acid compounds. U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,792 discloses an aqueous additive mixture to reduce and modify the amount of silicate scale formed in automotive cooling systems.
European patent 245557 discloses the use of a variety of compounds including sodium polyacrylate to prevent alkaline earth metal silicate precipitation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,712 discloses the use of polyacrylic acid as a silicate stabilizer to inhibit gelation. Gelation is a silicate depletion mechanism which can occur separately from hard water precipitates.
In spite of these disclosures, there remains a need for an antifreeze/coolant additive which resists cavitation erosion-corrosion of aluminum and aluminum alloys.